How Do They Catch People With Those Crappy Security Tapes?

CSI has lied to you, there's only so much digital clean-up technology can do and it isn't nearly as good as what you see on television. So can anyone really get caught with such awful security quality? Sometimes yes, but I would think most times no. Do they help? Possibly marginally. I'm no expert, but I know that they used to e-mail security footage (and it was pretty bad quality) to all the teachers at my school. Even though the quality was low, the students usually got recognized by somebody and they actually caught a number of vandals that way. However, that was a small pool of students to choose from. I can imagine it would be different in a huge city.

It is still a game of cat and mouse with the criminals being chased with only a vague identification from that CCTV or sometimes some inexperienced or unsuspecting criminals was unable to hide their identities by disguising so they are spotted immediately. Otherwise, CCTVs are just a video souvenir that you have been robbed or something. :)

By themselves, NO. In fact I've had employees steal from my area at work & they've been seen on the video at the boxes that were tampered with but since the camras rotate they weren't in frame when they actually took the items so there was no definitive evidence. Most security is a joke unless you have a well trained active group of guards. When I worked security we had a guy watching the monitors telling me what areas I either needed to find an excuse to work in or where to go while in plain clothes to observe. The tapes were only useful as evidence after we'd caught someone when they tried to claim they'd brought the item in with them & we could show them pocketing it.

I imagine since they are professionals they know what to do to figure it out...like maybe slowing down and freezing a frame to get a better idea of who it is.

heck no and halph the time photos dont even look legible. im thinking, someone must see the tape shown on tv and say, hey, thats the hoodie so and so wears all the time and yes he/she has had a good bit of money lately, hhhhmmm must be them. im just guessing here

No I don't & I am so glad that I am not alone in thinking this also. My husband sometimes likes to watch that show "The World's Dumbest Criminals" or something to that effect & they always show you them on the security camera. I always ask my husband "How do they ever catch these guys just by watching these surveillance clips?" Like you I can hardly make out anything.

I have often wondered about that too. Also,with the way technology has advanced, why use those stupid old cameras? The technology is available to get good new ones, so i say get good new ones, and ditch the old crap!

I'm sure it's not just the tapes. I'm sure it's a combination of things used like finger print matching ect. But as technology changes (& companies upgrade) it seems alot of the images I've seen on tv aren't grainy it's the angles they are done at that make it sometimes hard to view or identify the suspect(s).

I think if people just had to rely on security tapes, then no one could get caught. The footage is very bad and if someone with half of a brain planned out the robbery, they would have a rather good idea where security cameras were placed, so they would avoid them. Of course if they did plan out the robbery or really if they did not, then the tapes would not be that much of a help. It is the other evidence that they leave around that really are going to be something that will sink them. Not to mention when they tell the wrong person about how they got away with something. There are many times where if criminals just kept their mouth shut, they would get away with so much, but that, along with any other evidence sinks them most times.